UH President Wendy Hensel visits UH Maui College

University of Hawaiʻi President Wendy Hensel visited UH Maui College on Monday, March 3, as part of her statewide tour of 10 UH campuses and five education centers within her first 90 days in office.

Her visit began with a traditional Hawaiian protocol ceremony before meeting with the Lauʻulu Council, which represents Native Hawaiian faculty and staff. She then toured several classes, including marketing, dental hygiene, art, ceramics and nursing, where she engaged with students and faculty.

“I had fun touring the arts and the culinary skills and the nursing students, and everyone seems really excited about their studies here,” Hensel said. “And they want to stay home, and so building these programs to meet the needs of the island is really important.”

UH Maui College currently serves 2,992 students across Maui, Lānaʻi and Molokaʻi, with enrollment growing 12% over the past two years. It remains the only UH community college that serves residents across multiple islands and offers associate and bachelor’s degrees in high-demand fields such as cybersecurity, culinary arts, automotive technology and healthcare.

UH Maui College Chancellor Lui Hokoana said the visit was a great opportunity for the community, students, faculty and staff to share with the president the needs of its campuses. “We’re excited to have the president here, to hear—boots on the ground—to see what’s happening at Maui College,” he said. “We took her out to Lāna‘i, and we’re gonna get to take her to Moloka‘i.”

During her campus visit, Hensel also met with student, faculty and staff leadership over lunch and later attended an open forum with 80 participants. Topics of discussion included her vision for UH Maui College, the threat to federal funding, student housing, mental health services, concerns about online learning overtaking in-person courses, the expansion of four-year degree programs and challenges in hiring faculty due to pay constraints.

Student Body President Jenelyn Santos said she took the opportunity to share student concerns directly with Hensel. “I wanted her to know that we needed more opportunities at UHMC, yeah, and she—she took that, and she—I think she’s gonna implement some things.”

Hensel concluded her visit with a reception attended by local business leaders, alumni and community members to reinforce the college’s role in workforce development and higher education in Maui County.